Boat outrigger float



y 1952 H. H. ANDERSON I 2,596,194

BOAT OUTRIGGER FLOAT 2 SHEETS-SHEET' 1 Filed Jan. 5, 1949 INVENTOR.

y 3, 1952 H. H. ANDERSON 2,599,194

BOAT OUTRIGGER FLOAT Filed Jan. 5, 1949 2 SPEETS-SHEET 2 INVEN TOR. A A/wm A/A'A/DiRJO/V ATTORNfKS' Patented May 13, 1952 BOAT OUTRIGGER. FLOAT Harold H. Anderson, Detroit, Mich., assignor of one-half to E. C.

Wegert, Detroit, Mich.

Application January 5, 1949, Serial N 0. 69,280

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to an outrigger float for a boat.

It is an object of the invention to provide an outrigger float for a boat which is arranged to be suspended along side the boat adjacent the surface of the water when the boat is in an upright position so that it will not interfere with the manipulation of the oars in the case of a row boat and which automatically pivots outwardly to a predetermined position when the boat tips so as to impart buoyancy to the boat and prevent it from capsizing.

Another object of the invention is to construct an outrigger float for the boat so that it may be easily mounted or removed and used with boats of different sizes and shapes.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of an outrigger float which is constructed to impart a maximum buoyancy to the boat when required but which at the same time is of a size and positioned so as to not interfere with the normal operation of the boat. A still further object of the invention resides in the provision of an outrigger float arranged to pivot from a position suspended along side the boat to an outwardly extended position when the boat tips from its normal upright position, the pivotal suspension being constructed so that the float imparts buoyancy to the boat as soon as it begins to pivot to its outwardly extended position.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side View of a portion of a boat with the outrigger float of this invention mounted thereon.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 2--2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 33 in Figure 1 showing the means employed for adjusting the tension of the spring controlling the hinging movement of the float.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of one end of the hinge bracket.

Figure 5 is an end view of a boat having outrigger floats of this invention mounted thereon, the boat being shown in a tipped condition with the float on one side of the boat in the operative position.

Figure 6 is a top view shown in Figure 5.

By way of illustration the outrigger floats of this invention are shown in the drawings mounted on a rowboat IQ. It will be appreciated of the boat and floats however when the invention has been more fully described that the floats may be employed on various types of boats such as canoes, sailboats, launches, and the like. The floats comprise relatively narrow tanks I2 which are preferably dimensioned so as to extend lengthwise along a substantial portion of the boat. Each of the tanks I2 are adapted to be pivotally supported along side the boat by means of hinge brackets It. The upper hinge member iii of bracket i4 is fashioned in the form of a U-clamp casting having a clamping screw 18 threadedly engaged in a boss 2|] in one leg of the clamp and arranged to be tightened against the inner face of one of the sidewalls of the boat so as to rigidly secure hinge bracket I 4 on the gunwale 22 of the boat. Clamp member It has formed at the lower end of the other leg two pair of lugs 24 through which extends the hinge pin 26. Pin 28 is formed with a non-circular head 28 at one end and at the other end the pin is provided with a nut 39. The other member 32 of hinge bracket I4 is formed with a pair of lugs 34 which are positioned between lugs 24 and pivotally supported by the shank of pin 26.

At its lower edge hinge plate 32, which is preferably formed as a casting, is provided with a circular boss 36 over which is fitted a tubular arm 38. Arm 38 may be fixed on boss 36 by welding or other suitable means such as a bolt 40. A second tubular support arm 42 is telescoped within arm 38 from the lower end thereof. Arms 38 and 42 are each provided with a series of registering apertures 44 through which a bolt 46 is inserted to connect the arms together in a plurality of extended positions so as to vary the efiective combined length of the arms. At its lower end arm 42 is received within an annular hub 48 of a bracket 59. A support block 52 fixedly secured to the top wall of float I2 is pivotally supported between the bifurcated lower end of bracket 50 by means of a bolt 54.

In order to utilize the buoyant effect of tank 12 to advantage it will be appreciated that the pivotal movement of the support arms 918 and 42 must be limited so that they will pivot only in an outwardly direction when the boat tips and then only to a limited extent. Accordingly, the arms are prevented from swinging inwardly against the sides of the boat by means of a shoulder 56 on lugs 34 which abuts against a stop surface 58 formed on bracket l6 between lugs 24 when hinge member 32 is disposed in a substantially vertical position. The outward I pivotal movement of hinge member 32 is limited by a pin 60 mounted in either one or both of lugs 34 and arranged to strike against a chamend projecting into an aperture 60 in a bushing 68 on the shank ofbolt 20. The bolt 26 is locked against turning on'bracket It by means of a recessed shoulder 10 formed on an end face of bracket it which is arranged to engage with one of the flat faces of head 28. Bushing 68 is provided with a plurality of threaded radial holes 12 and is keyed to bolt 26: by a screw -M which is threaded into one of the holes 12' so that its inner end projects into a recess 16 on bolt 26. The tension of spring 64 may be varied by turning bushing 68 in either one direction or the other so as to align any of the holes 12 with recess 1:6. :andxthen advancing screw 14 in theselectedhole so that its inner end-projeotsinto recess. 16.

As shown more clearly in Figure 6, the'tanks 12 are arranged to be suspended along each side of: the boat with one of the hinge brackets, 16 of each tank clamped on the gunwale near the front. end of; the boat and the other bracket I6 clamped onthegunwale at the rear portion of the boat. ,In the-case of a rowboat the positioning of the brackets in this manner offers no obstruction to the manipulation of the oars which are usually mounted at the midportion of the boat. With the boat in the upright posi- .tiorrarms 38; and 42 are adjusted so that. tanks iZxateach sideof the boat lie justabove or directly upon the surface of the water. If the boat tips to theright as shown in Figure 5, the support arms on the right hand side of the boat pivot outwardly so that the. float from theright side of the boat. Since spring -64. is arranged to; resist the'outwardly pivotal movement of the support arms, tank'B exerts a buoyant force tending to upright the boat as soon. asit'ihits. the water and begins to move' outwardly. Tank "6 continues to move outwardly as the boat tips' against the increasing tension of spring 64. The buoyant force tending to upright the boat is rapidly increased not onlyv by reason :of the increasing resistance of spring 64 but also" because the buoyant force of tank 6 is being applied to the boat from a progressively greater distance from the axis about which the 'boattends totip. words; the outrigger-float is arranged to exert In other a rapi'dly increasing'buoyant force as the boat *continues to roll. from its normal upright position.

-.It.\vill' thusixbeseen that I have providedan outrigger float which may. be detachably mounted on a boat, so as to not interfere with the nor- \mal operation of the boat. It will be appreciated. of course that the hinge member IS of bracket M: may in the case of larger boats be travels away I arrangement of the coil spring-64 which tends to resist the outward pivotal movement of the tank support arms so that the buoyant force increases'progressively as the boat continues to 'tip. The utility of the outrigger is further enhanced by theprovision of means for adjusting the tension of spring 26 and the effective length of the support arms which features enable the use of the outrigger on boats of different sizes.

What I claim is:

An outrigger for a boat comprising a bracket adapted to be removably mounted on a sidewall of a boat, a support arm hinged at its upper end to said bracket for pivotal movement ina plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boatwhenthe bracket is mounted on. the boat, means for limiting the pivotal movement of said bracket in'a, direction upwardly and outwardly from the sidewall of the boat, a float attached'to the lower end of said support arm, said support arm being hinged on said bracket for free pivotal movement downwardly toward the sidewall of the boat so as to be normally suspended from said bracket in a generally vertical position with'the float at the-lower end thereof extending along side the boat, and resilient means biasing said support arm tosaid normal vertical position and resisting the pivotal'movement thereof in a direction upwardly and away from the sidewall of the boatwhereby when said boat tips to one side to an extent such. that the float engages the water, said float tends to move outwardly away I from the side of the boat against the resistance 'of said biasing means and thereby applies through said arm a progressively in- V creasing force on the boat which tends to upright theboat. V

.HAROLD H. ANDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

